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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TOKYO 000899 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA; 
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST DIVISION; 
TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE; 
SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN, 
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA 
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR; 
CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
 
SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/20/09 
 
Index: 
 
1) Harvard professor and former Pentagon official Joseph Nye picked 
as next ambassador to Japan, arriving this summer: Senior Japanese 
official  [Mainichi] 
 
Pakistan and Afghanistan assistance: 
2) International conference hosted by Japan to assist Pakistan 
exceeds $5 billion in pledges  [Yomiuri] 
3) Special Envoy Holbrooke at news conference after Pakistan aid 
conference says U.S. seeking Japan to provide civilian aid to 
Afghanistan not SDF dispatch  [Mainichi] 
4) In talks in Italy with U.S. and European counterparts, 
Agricultural Minister Ishiba announces that Japan will send more 
technicians to assist Afghanistan  [Nikkei] 
 
Anti-piracy effort: 
5) MSDF destroyer has third encounter with pirate boat off Somalia 
[Mainichi] 
6) MSDF averaging only three vessels for anti-piracy duty, much less 
than originally planned  [Mainichi] 
7) Ruling camp confident that anti-piracy bill will clear the Diet 
[Yomiuri] 
8) Ruling camp refuses opposition's call for revising the 
anti-piracy bill to add clause requiring MSDF to acquire Diet 
approval for dispatch  [Sankei] 
 
9) Concern rising about being able to implement the U.S. force 
realignment agreement due to opposition resistance to Guam pact, no 
progress on Futenma  [Tokyo Shimbun] 
 
North Korea problem: 
10) Former President Carter was ready in March to visit Pyongyang 
for talks, but North Korea, readying its missile launch, refused the 
offer  [Sankei] 
11) Senior Japanese official says the U.S. will not engage in 
bilateral talks with North Korea for the time being  [Tokyo Shimbun] 
 
12) Former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa wants Japan to consider 
arming itself with nuclear weapons to meet the nuclear threat from 
North Korea  [Sankei] 
 
13) Former Prime Minister Abe in Washington speech backs Obama 
disarmament plan  [Sankei] 
 
Political agenda: 
14) Aso Cabinet support rate jumps 7.6 points to 25.2% in Jiji poll 
[Tokyo Shimbun] 
15) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) puts off holding an opinion 
survey to gauge public mood linked to the issue of party head 
Ozawa's resignation  [Tokyo Shimbun] 
16) DPJ wavering in its opposition to the supplementary budget now 
before the Diet  [Nikkei] 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Nye selected as U.S. ambassador to Japan; Expected to arrive at 
post around the summer 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Abridged) 
April 18, 2009 
 
 
TOKYO 00000899  002 OF 012 
 
 
The appointment of Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye, a former 
assistant secretary of defense, to be the next U.S. ambassador to 
Japan has been firmed up. This was revealed on April 17 by a senior 
Japanese government official.  Nye is known for his expertise on 
Japan, having tackled [while at the Pentagon] the strengthening of 
the Japan-U.S. alliance. His appointment can be said to demonstrate 
the Obama administration's stance of placing importance on relations 
with Japan. He is expected to arrive at his post around summer. 
 
According to the senior government official, although Nye's name was 
floated prior to the inauguration of the Obama administration in 
January as the likely candidate for the ambassadorship to Japan, 
several candidates later were reportedly screened. 
 
Nye served as assistant secretary of defense under the Clinton 
administration, and is known for promoting a redefinition of the 
alliance to strengthen the security arrangements between Japan and 
the United Nations in the post-Cold War period. In 2000 and again in 
2007, he with former Deputy Secretary of State Armitage put together 
two comprehensive strategic papers on policy toward Japan known as 
the Armitage-Nye reports, which urged Japan to share the security 
role with the U.S. 
 
2) 5 billion dollars in financial assistance to Pakistan pledged at 
international conference 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
April 18, 2009 
 
The Pakistan Donors Conference hosted by the Japanese government and 
the World Bank was held at a Tokyo hotel on April 17. It was agreed 
at the meeting that participating nations will extend financial 
assistance totaling more than 5 billion dollars or roughly 500 
billion yen over the next two years in order to help that nation, 
which is suffering from a continuing economic crisis, deal with 
poverty and improve health and education conditions. 
 
The objective of the meeting was to severe the link between poverty 
and terrorism. The meeting brought together representatives of 31 
countries, including Japan, the U.S., China and Iran, and 18 
international agencies. Japan announced a plan to provide up to 1 
billion dollars or roughly 100 billion yen, based on the premise 
that the program mapped out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 
in November last year be implemented steadily. The U.S. also pledged 
to extend the same amount. 
 
The Japanese government at first aimed to raise 4 billion dollars or 
roughly 400 billion yen. However, with Middle Eastern and Asian 
countries taking interest in the situation in Pakistan, since it 
could affect the public security of its neighbor Afghanistan, those 
countries, too, announced their decisions to extend financial 
assistance. As a result, the pledges topped the original estimate. 
Many participating countries also asked the Pakistani government to 
make efforts to take measures to improve public safety mainly in the 
region bordering Afghanistan, and to correct social disparities. 
 
Emerging from the meeting, Foreign Minister Nakasone, who serves as 
a co-chairman, told a news conference, "I hope that Pakistan will 
strengthen measures to root out international terrorism." 
 
A friends meeting to confer on a mid-term strategy for the 
stabilization of politics in Pakistan was held prior to the donors 
 
TOKYO 00000899  003 OF 012 
 
 
conference. Participating countries vowed to help Pakistan reform 
its economy. 
 
3) Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Holbrooke: U.S. not 
seeking SDF dispatch to Afghanistan, appeals for contribution from 
civilian sector 
 
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full) 
April 19, 2009 
 
In a press conference in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondents Club in 
Japan, U.S. Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard 
Holbrooke stated: "There is no doubt that terrorists in Pakistan and 
Afghanistan are planning attacks on such major international cities 
as Tokyo." He also appealed for Japan to contribute to the stability 
of Afghanistan and Pakistan in areas that are its forte such as 
agriculture, health care, and civil-servant training. 
 
Holbrooke compared the war in Afghanistan to the Bosnian dispute, in 
which he himself brokered a peace agreement. He said that in the 
case of Bosnia one could just phone the president and negotiate, but 
in Afghanistan, nobody knows who is in charge. 
 
On the other hand, he admitted there were informal contacts at the 
Pakistan donors conference on April 17, saying that he had chatted 
one or two minutes with Iranian President Mottaki. In his speech on 
Afghan assistance, Mottaki highly praised the results, saying, "I 
was impressed by the extremely constructive contents." 
 
4) Agriculture minister announces to U.S., EU plan to increase 
number of technicians dispatched to Afghanistan 
 
NIKKEI (Page 3) (Full) 
April 20, 2009 
 
Hiroshi Nomiyama, Cison di Valmarino, Italy 
 
Agriculture Minister Shigeru Ishiba on April 19 separately met with 
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Marian Fischer Boel, a 
member of the European Commission responsible for agricultural 
affairs at the European Union. Ishiba during those meetings revealed 
Japan's plan to boost its assistance to Afghanistan in response to 
the U.S. policy of speeding up the reconstruction of the civilian 
sector in that nation, including an increase in the number of 
technical experts that Japan dispatches. It has been confirmed at 
the meetings that they will move ahead with talks for an early 
settlement of the multilateral trade talks at the World Trade 
Organization. 
 
Ishiba during the meeting with Vilsack called on the U.S. to 
regulate animal feed promptly to ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The 
U.S. side made no requests to Japan to ease its import restrictions 
imposed on U.S. beef. In the talks with Fischer Boel, an agreement 
was reached that Japan and the EU will pursue talks in 
collaboration, while paying close attention to changes in the U.S. 
trade policy. 
 
5) Third encounter for MSDF off Somalia 
 
MAINICHI (Page 26) (Full) 
April 19, 2009 
 
 
TOKYO 00000899  004 OF 012 
 
 
A squadron of Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers, currently on 
an antipiracy mission in waters off the eastern African coast of 
Somalia, caught an SOS call radioed by a foreign ship that was not 
under the MSDF's escort and was being tailed by suspicious boats, 
the Defense Ministry reported yesterday. When a destroyer-based 
helicopter flew to check the situation there, the suspicious boats 
stopped tailing the foreign ship, according to the Defense Ministry. 
This is the third time for the MSDF squadron to encounter suspicious 
boats since it started operations there on March 30. 
 
According to the Defense Ministry, a foreign cruiser asked nearby 
ships over the radio for help on April 18 at around 8:04 p.m. (2:04 
p.m., local time) when it was being tailed by two small boats and 
was out at sea about 37 kilometers northeast of a gathering point in 
the western part of the Gulf of Aden for Japanese ships and 
Japan-linked ships where the MSDF destroyers were on standby. 
 
A helicopter based on the Sazanami, one of the two MSDF destroyers, 
took off and closed in on the suspicious boats, and the suspicious 
boats halted their operation. The helicopter left the scene in about 
30 minutes, judging that the suspicious boats gave up chasing the 
cruiser. 
 
The helicopter spotted a total of three suspicious boats but could 
not see if they were armed. They were flying a flag looking like 
Yemen's national flag but might have been pirate ships in disguise. 
 
On April 11, the MSDF destroyers were asked for help by a foreign 
ship almost in the same area. 
 
6) MSDF escorts 3 ships on average 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Abridged) 
April 19, 2009 
 
The Sazanami and the Samidare, Maritime Self-Defense Force 
destroyers on an antipiracy mission in waters off the coast of 
Somalia, escort three Japanese ships a day on average and most 
recently escorted only one ship. This is primarily because there has 
been a sharp decrease in the number of ships due to the global 
recession and the MSDF destroyers and commercial ships have 
different schedules. 
 
On March 30, the MSDF started its escort activities in Somalia 
waters, where the two MSDF destroyers convoy Japanese commercial and 
Japan-linked ships, making a shuttle almost every four days in the 
Gulf of Aden off Somalia. The MSDF has so far made three shuttles 
and a half. The two MSDF destroyers, in their first shuttle, 
escorted five ships on their way from the gathering point and two 
ships on their way back. In their second shuttle, they escorted 
three ships on their way outward and four ships on their way back, 
and in their third shuttle, three ships on their way outward and 
three ships on their way back. In the fourth shuttle, only one ship 
on their way outward. 
 
The government had explained that Japanese ships and Japan-linked 
ships passing through the Gulf of Aden would total 2,000 a year or 5 
a day on average. If that is the case, the MSDF would have escorted 
20 ships in a four-day shuttle and would have escorted 10 ships on 
its way outward and another 10 on its way back. 
 
However, the actual number has failed to reach a half. According to 
 
TOKYO 00000899  005 OF 012 
 
 
the Japanese Shipowners' Association, a total of about 1,500 ships, 
broken down into container ships and automobile carriers, passed 
through the Gulf of Aden last year. However, there has been a sharp 
decrease in that number, as seen from a decrease of 50% in the 
number of automobile carriers. 
 
7) Ruling parties confident about enactment of anti-piracy bill 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts) 
April 19, 2009 
 
The ruling and opposition camps will start talks at the beginning of 
next week to review the government-sponsored anti-piracy bill. 
Stormy negotiations are expected, but the Democratic Party of Japan 
(DPJ) plans to avoid delaying deliberations. Ruling party members 
now expect that the bill will be undoubtedly enacted in the current 
Diet session. 
 
The DPJ and the People's New Party (PNP) have called for six items 
in the government bill to be revised. The Japanese Communist Party 
and the Social Democratic Party have decided not to participate in 
the revision talks. The DPJ and the PNP focus on a provision for the 
government's authorization to mobilize Self-Defense Force (SDF) 
troops to cope with a situation that demands higher capability than 
what the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) can offer. 
 
They cite the procedures in the government as stipulated in the bill 
as one problem. Under the bill, the defense minister would issue an 
order upon gaining approval from the prime minister. Under the 
opposition side's draft amendment, the land, infrastructure, 
transport and tourism minister would make a request to the prime 
minister, and the anti-piracy taskforce, headed by the prime 
minister, would dispatch SDF troops. SDF troops on an anti-piracy 
mission would be also given the status of taskforce members. The 
draft amendment specifies anti-piracy operations as chiefly the 
JCG's duty and aims to weaken the image of SDF dispatch by giving 
SDF troops anti-piracy taskforce membership. 
 
Another problem is the Diet's involvement. The amendment requires 
prior Diet approval, placing emphasis on civilian control. 
 
The ruling coalition is negative about these proposals on the 
grounds that they touch on the fundamentals of the bill. On the idea 
of regarding SDF troops also as members of the anti-piracy 
taskforce, a senior Defense Ministry official pointed out: "It would 
become ambiguous which would be responsible, the anti-piracy 
taskforce or the SDF." Some voice concern about a lack of 
consistency with other laws if the bill requires prior Diet 
approval. 
 
Reflecting such concerns, the government bill is likely to be 
revised on a small scale. In the ruling camp, some insist that even 
if the bill is revised, the DPJ is expected to vote against it 
because the main opposition party does not want to undermine a joint 
struggle framework among the opposition parties. The government bill 
should not be amended at all." But a senior Liberal Democratic Party 
member said: "The DPJ must be hoping for smooth enactment of the 
bill so that its stance of opposing it will not be spotlighted. 
 
8) Revising antipiracy legislation; Ruling parties reject idea of 
prior Diet approval, saying such will make the system unstable 
 
 
TOKYO 00000899  006 OF 012 
 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
April 20, 2009 
 
The ruling and opposition parties are scheduled to begin on April 21 
revision talks on the government-sponsored antipiracy legislation 
enabling the country to dispatch Self-Defense Forces (SDF) vessels 
on antipiracy missions in waters off Somalia and other areas as 
necessary. Appearing on an NHK discussion program yesterday ahead of 
the revision talks, ruling party members, including former Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) Vice-President and Foreign Affairs Research 
Commission Chairman Taku Yamasaki, announced that the ruling bloc 
would not respond to the Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) call to 
make it mandatory for the government to obtain prior Diet approval 
for dispatching SDF vessels for such purposes. 
 
In the program, Yamasaki said: "We are willing to make revisions in 
a reasonable scope, but prior Diet approval is not possible." New 
Komeito Policy Research Council Chairman Natsuo Yamaguchi, too, 
expressed reluctance, saying: "Under the divided Diet, prior Diet 
approval would make the system extremely unstable." 
 
Meanwhile, the DPJ shadow cabinet's foreign minister Yoshio Hachiro 
emphatically said: "Prior Diet approval is necessary. We will 
conduct revision talks in collaboration with other opposition 
parties." 
 
Hachiro added: "In principle, dealing with piracy is the Japan Coast 
Guard's (duty). It is important to swiftly improve the Maritime 
Self-Defense Force's setup." 
 
Yamasaki objected to Hachiro's view, saying: "If the JCG were to do 
everything on its own, it would have to build large vessels like 
MSDF destroyers, and that would be a waste of time and tax money." 
 
Social Democratic Party (SDP) Policy Deliberation Council Chair 
Tomoko Abe expressed reluctance about taking part in the planned 
vision talks, saying: "Frankly speaking, there is a huge gap with 
the ruling parties. [The ruling bloc] is saying, 'We cannot make 
compromises on this and that.'" 
 
Japanese Communist Party foreign affairs department head Akira Kasai 
opposed the very idea of dispatching the MSDF. People's New Party 
Policy Deliberation Council Vice Chairman Mikio Shimoji noted: "An 
agreement will not be reached unless dynamic revisions are made." 
 
9) Government concerned about U.S. force realignment, given DPJ's 
opposition to Guam International Agreement and no progress on 
Futenma relocation 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
April 19, 2009 
 
Takuji Soka 
 
It has now become certain that the Japan-U.S. agreement to relocate 
U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam will clear the Diet by mid-May. 
The major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is opposed to 
the pact, however. Given the situation, in the event the DPJ takes 
power through the next House of Representatives election, the pact 
might be left up in the air. Further, there are no prospects for the 
relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan 
to the coastal area of Camp Schwab in Nago. The environment 
 
TOKYO 00000899  007 OF 012 
 
 
surrounding the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan remains severe. 
 
 
Based on the U.S. force-realignment roadmap, the foreign minister of 
Japan and the U.S. secretary of State signed the agreement in 
February. The pact would relocate some 8,000 U.S. Marines from 
Okinawa to Guam. In the ongoing Diet session, the government sought 
understanding for the agreement, saying it would help reduce the 
burden on Okinawa, home to 75% of U.S. bases in Japan. 
 
In an April 14 Lower House plenary session, four opposition parties, 
including the DPJ, objected to the agreement, saying the grounds for 
Japan's contribution (2.8 billion dollars) to the relocation plan 
were unclear. Despite that, the accord was able to pass the Lower 
House with a majority of votes by the ruling parties. Even if the 
accord is rejected in the opposition-controlled Upper House, it is 
now certain to clear the Diet within 30 days due to the 
constitutional superiority of the Lower House. 
 
Nevertheless, the fact that the DPJ opposed the agreement carries 
great significance. 
 
In his meeting on April 14 with former U.S. Ambassador to Japan 
Walter Mondale, DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa expressed his intention 
for Japan to have an increased say in the alliance with the United 
States. "(Japan) has not said what it has to say (to the United 
States)," Ozawa noted. Should the DPJ take power, the pact could 
turn into just a paper agreement. 
 
The agreement specifies "tangible progress toward completion of the 
Futenma replacement facility." But the two countries have been 
experiencing difficulties in realizing this. 
 
The Okinawa side has repeatedly asked to move the planned runways 
further offshore than Camp Schwab. Although Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Takeo Kawamura said in response, "We take the local view seriously," 
the government still thinks the current plan is the best. 
 
In the past, an earlier plan to relocate the Futenma functions to 
waters off the Henoko district in Nago fell through due to stiff 
local opposition. A Foreign Ministry official said anxiously, "We 
cannot let the United States down twice." 
 
10) U.S. sounds out North Korea on visit by Carter in March, showing 
eagerness for bilateral talks 
 
SNKEI (Page 3) (Excerpts) 
April 19, 2009 
 
The U.S. government secretly planned to send former Democratic 
President Jimmy Carter to North Korea in March in an effort to 
convince Pyongyang to drop its missile-launch plan, a diplomatic 
source connected to Japan-U.S. relations stated yesterday. But 
Pyongyang declined Washington's unofficial proposal, citing leader 
Kim Jong Il's health problem and other reasons. The plan for 
Carter's visit represents, in a sense, Washington's eagerness to 
have bilateral talks with Pyongyang. Once the two governments begin 
talks, Japan might be pressed to go along with any agreement reached 
there. 
 
According to informed sources, the U.S. worked on North Korea in 
March in various ways to realize bilateral talks, suggesting such 
 
TOKYO 00000899  008 OF 012 
 
 
plans as a dispatch of Special Representative for North Korea Policy 
Stephen Bosworth to the nation. But North Korea rejected the U.S. 
proposal, on the grounds that it would be unacceptable unless the 
U.S sent someone at a higher level than Bosworth. 
 
Former President Carter visited Pyongyang on June 15, 1994, to deal 
with the first North Korean nuclear crisis. At the time, Pyongyang 
announced its intention to withdraw from the Nuclear 
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and indicated the possibility of 
developing nuclear weapons, heightening tensions on the Korean 
Peninsula. Carter met with President Kim Il Sung and succeeded in 
eliciting his agreement to freeze the nation's nuclear program. 
 
Keeping this experience in mind, the U.S. government anticipated 
that Carter would be able to dissuade the North from implementing 
the missile-launch plan. The government reportedly unofficially 
sounded North Korea out about a visit by Carter, in the hope of 
arranging about a meeting with Kim Jong Il. 
 
North Korea, however, rejected the proposed Carter visit and ignored 
the U.S. call for self-restraint on the launch plan. It fired a 
missile on April 5. 
 
Pyongyang's refusal of the U.S. proposal shows its stance of 
recklessly pushing ahead with missile development. There is even a 
rumor that the North Korean side explained, in rejecting the U.S. 
proposal, that Kim Il Sung died on July 8, just after Carter visited 
North Korea, so if Kim Jong Il, now in poor health, meets with 
Carter, it "might bring him bad luck." 
 
11) U.S. will not hold bilateral talks with North Korea for time 
being, according to senior Japanese government official 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Full) 
April 20, 2009 
 
This newspaper learned on April 19 that the U.S. government, in the 
wake of North Korea's boycott of Six-Party Talks, has decided not to 
hold bilateral talks with that nation for the time being. Washington 
has apparently responded to Tokyo's call that priority should be 
given to maintaining the Six-Party Talks framework. This was 
revealed by a senior Japanese official. 
 
Some Japanese officials have been increasingly worried that once 
U.S.-North Korea talks begin in earnest, the abduction issue could 
be left behind. This official takes it that such a risk has 
disappeared. However, many still take the view that directs talks 
between the two countries would be the only way to find a 
breakthrough in the situation. There is a possibility of the U.S. 
reneging on its commitment if no prospects for resuming the 
Six-Party Talks are obtained. 
 
According to the same source, Secretary of State Clinton on April 14 
revealed the U.S. government's stance of eyeing talks with North 
Korea as a means to find a breakthrough on the North Korea problem. 
Following this statement, Japan discussed future measures with the 
U.S. side through several channels, including the Japanese Embassy 
in the U.S. The same source also said that Japan has a commitment 
from several senior U.S. officials not to enter into direct talks 
with the North for the time being. 
 
12) LDP lawmaker Nakagawa calls for "nuclear weapons to counter 
 
TOKYO 00000899  009 OF 012 
 
 
nuclear weapons" 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
April 20, 2009 
 
In reaction to the UN Security Council's adoption of a presidential 
statement condemning North Korea's [April 5] missile launch, 
Pyongyang has declared that it would resume its nuclear development 
program. Touching on this fact, former Finance Minister Shoichi 
Nakagawa in a meeting yesterday in Obihiro, Hokkaido, expressed his 
view that Japan should debate possessing nuclear weapons, saying: 
"Speaking purely militarily, it is common sense in the world that 
nuclear weapons are the only means that can counter nuclear 
weapons." 
 
In October 2006, when he was serving as Liberal Democratic Party 
(LDP) Policy Research Council chairman during the Abe 
administration, Nakagawa also said: "Going nuclear is not prohibited 
under the Constitution." Nakagawa emphasized the view that North 
Korea possesses a large number of Nodong mid-range missiles and that 
it has nuclear bombs small enough to be loaded on missiles. He said: 
"They have moved closer to the stage where they can conduct launches 
at any time without advance notice. We must always discuss 
countermeasures." 
 
13) Former Prime Minister Abe calls for nuclear disarmament 
including China 
 
SANKEI (Page 3) (Full) 
April 19, 2009 
 
Takashi Arimoto, Washington 
 
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a speech in Washington on 
the afternoon of April 17, local time, in which he referred to the 
nuclear disarmament policy recently announced by U.S. President 
Barack Obama and said: "The policy should include not only the U.S. 
and Russia but also China." 
 
Abe expressed his wariness about China's arms buildup, saying: "We 
need to keep close tabs on what it is aiming at. Securing 
transparency is important." 
 
Abe also pointed out the need for Japan to cooperate with China in 
tackling such issues as global warming. He remarked: "I have long 
taken a severe view about China. Those who are called pro-Chinese 
had said that 'if Abe became prime minister, Japan-China relations 
would collapse,' I visited China as the first destination of my 
overseas trip after assuming the premiership and paved the way for 
the two countries to establish a mutually beneficial bilateral 
relationship based on common strategic interests. Regarding North 
Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, he said: "Some 
reportedly criticize our nation's stance as uncompromising, but the 
blame falls on North Korea, which abducted them, so North Korea 
should take action first." He emphasized the need for a settlement 
of the abduction issue, in line with the nuclear and missile issues. 
 
 
14) Poll: Cabinet support rises to 25.2% 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 18, 2009 
 
TOKYO 00000899  010 OF 012 
 
 
 
According to a Jiji Press poll conducted April 10-13, the approval 
rating for Prime Minister Taro Aso rose 7.6 points from last month 
to 25.2%, topping 20% for the first time since last December. The 
disapproval rating was 53.8%, a decrease of 13.6 points over last 
month. In the poll, respondents were asked who they thought was 
appropriate for prime minister. In this popularity ranking for 
premiership, Aso tallied 26.7%, with Democratic Party of Japan 
(Minshuto) President Ichiro Ozawa at 20.6%. 
 
Support for the Aso cabinet's support had been on the decline in 
previous polls, but no further decrease was seen in the latest poll. 
This is presumably because the government has now begun to implement 
economic stimulus measures, such as handing out cash benefits to all 
households and lowering expressway tolls. Meanwhile, the DPJ has 
been unstable due to illicit political donations from Nishimatsu 
Construction Co. to Ozawa's fund-managing body. 
 
The poll was conducted across the nation on a face-to-face basis, 
with a total of 2,000 male and female participants aged 20 and over. 
The response rate was 65.9%. 
 
Among those who support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Aso 
cabinet's support rate was 58.9%, up 11.6 points, and its nonsupport 
rate at 27.7%, down 14.2 points. Among those with no particular 
party affiliation, the support rate rose 7.3 points to 16.5%, with 
the nonsupport rate decreasing 15.5 points to 56.3%. Among DPJ 
supporters, the support rate was 6.5% and the nonsupport rate was 
87.5%. 
 
In the popularity ranking for premiership, Aso rose 4.3 points from 
last month, with Ozawa down 6.6 points. Ozawa was constantly above 
Aso in last December's poll and in the following polls. This time, 
however, Aso outstripped Ozawa. 
 
15) DPJ puts off planned survey to explore voter preference 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
April 20, 2009 
 
A conclusion on the issue of whether Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) 
President Ichiro Ozawa will remain in his party post or resign will 
likely be postponed to sometime after the Golden Week holidays in 
early May. The reason is because the DPJ has put off its survey on 
voters slated for mid-April to explore their preferences. It is 
viewed that the results of the survey would become means for Ozawa 
to make a decision on the matter. Some DPJ members are calling for 
disclosing the outcome of the poll. Regardless of when the survey is 
carried out, it will likely become a cause of rekindling the Ozawa 
issue in the DPJ. 
 
The DPJ conducts regular surveys in single-seat constituencies for 
the House of Representatives. At a press conference in last March, 
Ozawa revealed the intention to conduct a survey in April, the last 
one having been carried out in late January. He told his aides that 
the survey would be held on April 18-19. 
 
Former DPJ President Seiji Maehara, however, stated: "It is 
important to debate the outcome of the poll, showing where the party 
should go." Akira Nagatsuma, a deputy chairman of the Policy 
Research Committee, softly sought for information disclosure in an 
executive board meeting, questioning: "How much of the results of 
 
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the survey be disclosed?" 
 
Those remarks stem from that fact that Ozawa has kept secrecy in 
disclosing survey results even to the executive board. Many in the 
DPJ doubt that Ozawa would disclose the outcome of the survey in 
order to continue serving as party leader. 
 
Ozawa has rejected disclosure, saying "We have notified individual 
(candidates and lawmakers) of the necessary information. The 
information should not be disclosed." It is considered that the 
postponement of the survey is to prevent creating discord in the 
party. 
 
Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama, who is in a position to support 
Ozawa, put up a smoke screen, saying: "There is no political party 
that discloses the timing and results of a survey. A survey might 
have been conducted or it might be held next week." 
 
A mid-level lawmaker said: "April 24 or 26." If this is the case, 
the outcome of a survey in each electoral district would be conveyed 
to individual lawmakers and candidates sometime after the 
consecutive holidays in May. 
 
Ozawa has kept his grip on the party by holding the power to select 
candidates by obtaining the exclusive possession of the results of 
surveys. It is ironic that all eyes are now being focused on whether 
the outcome of the poll will become the criteria for Ozawa to make a 
decision on his course of action. 
 
16) DPJ unable to come up with response to second budget 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 20, 2009 
 
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has yet to reach 
a consensus on how to respond to a supplementary budget for fiscal 
2009 and related bills, which the government will submit to the Diet 
on April 27. In the wake of the scandal involving DPJ President 
Ichiro Ozawa's state-funded secretary over illegal donations from 
Nishimatsu Construction Co., the driving force for the largest 
opposition party is now weakening. Given that situation, the DPJ has 
yet to decide on when to take a vote in the opposition controlled 
House of Councillors, although it has advocated carrying out 
thorough deliberations, aiming to turn around the situation. Some 
DPJ members are concerned that the ruling coalition, which is now 
beginning to take a bearish posture, might control the pace of 
deliberations. 
 
DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka stressed in a 
meeting on April 17 of the party's House of Representatives members: 
"We consider deliberations on the extra budget as a battle field." 
Prior to this, Yamaoka discussed with Ozawa about the handling of 
the extra budget and related bills at Ozawa's office. Ozawa, 
Yamaoka, Deputy President Naoto Kan, Secretary General Yukio 
Hatoyama, and DPJ Upper House Caucus Chairman Azuma Koshiishi will 
also confer on the matter tomorrow. 
 
Behind the gaps in views of the DPJ members is Prime Minister Taro 
Aso's remark that he may dissolve the Lower House, depending on the 
DPJ's response. 
 
With an eye on a possibility that Aso will dissolve the Lower House 
 
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if deliberations are dragged on, Koshiishi pointed: "In order to 
have the prime minister dissolve the lower chamber as early as 
possible, we could take (the extra budget and related bills) 
hostage." Hatoyama and Yamaoka, however, have emphasized that the 
party will not put off the deliberations unnecessarily. The two have 
predicted that the ruling camp would have a hard time because there 
will be no issues if the DPJ accepts an early voting. 
 
Kan referred to the DPJ's plan to submit a bill revising the 
government-drafted extra budget in order to make clear pints at 
issue in the budget. Policy Research Committee Chairman Masayuki 
Naoshima, however, took a negative view toward Kan. 
 
DPJ executives seem unable to come up with a strategy for the rest 
of the Diet session, even though they are waiting for the ruling 
coalition's moves by sending hard- and soft-line messages. Although 
Ozawa has said he will make efforts to take the initiative in Diet 
measures, many junior and mid-level lawmakers in the party want him 
to quickly determine whether he will continue in his party post or 
quit, rather than to focus on Diet measures. 
 
With the exception of the budget and related bills, the DPJ 
leadership intends to accept an early passage of such key bills as 
the antipiracy bill. However, some in the DPJ remain unhappy with 
the leadership's policy. The DPJ put off a vote on April 16 on a 
bill amending the Financial Instrument and Exchange Law, on which 
the Lower House Financial Affairs Committee is now deliberating, 
since the DPJ Upper House caucus insisted that it should become a 
tool to delay the start of deliberations on the supplementary 
budget. 
 
ZUMWALT